Banjo having combination banjo body and tone rings

ABSTRACT

This invention consists of a ring-shaped body mounted in a metal resonator. The just-mentioned body is provided with an inner tone ring as well as with a conventional tone ring and an upper bracket ring and other parts that go to make up a banjo.

United States Patent Oliver 1451 July 18,1972

1541 BANJO IIAvING COMBINATION BANJO BODY AND TONE RINGS [72] lnventorz Maywood Olver, 150 Chestnut Ave., Car- 1181C, Ohio 45005 22 Filedz Nov. 17,1970

211 App1.No.: 90,293

84/271 [51] 1111. 610: 1/10 [58] Field at Search ..84/269-272 [56] References Cited I UNITED STATES PATENTS 447,985 3/1891 Titus ..84/272 1,503,197 7/ 1924 McDaniel ..84/270 X 1,576,171 Adler ..84I272 3/1926 1,625,387 4/1927 Bouchard ..s4/272 1,783,243 12/1930 Lange .83/269 1,783,244 12/1930 Lan 84/270 2,048,592 7/1936 Blanchette ..s4/270 FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS 303,900 0/1929 Great Britain ..114/270 Primary Examiner-Richard B. Wilkinson Assistant Examiner-John F. Gonzales 57 ABSTRACT This invention consists of a ring-shaped body mounted in a metal resonator. The just-mentioned body is provided with an inner tone ring as well as with a conventional tone ring and an upper bracket ring and other parts that go to make up a banjo.

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sum 1 or 2 I IN VENTOR HAYWOOD OL/VER PATENTEnJuLwmn 3,671,125

SHEEIZUFZI IN VENTOR HAYWOOD OLIVER This invention relates to musical instruments; more particularly, to a string instrument; still more particularly, to that string instrument known as a banjo.

Banjos are defined as string instruments of the guitar class with long narrow fretted necks and small drumlike bodies with four or five strings that are plucked or strummed with the fingers.

While many attempts have been made throughout the years to improve the tone quality and volume of banjos, none have accomplished these aims without the use of complicated structure of questionable value.

It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide a banjo having tone rings that result in a string instrument of the character herein described that has both an improved tone quality and improved volume with a minimum of additional structure.

Another object of this invention is to provide a banjo having tone rings that do not add enough additional weight to the weight of the instrument to cause any discomfort when holding and playing the same.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a banjo having tone rings that not only provide the already-mentioned increase in tone quality and volume but also an increase in resonance.

Other and further objects and advantages of this invention will no doubt appear as the reading of this specification and its appended claims proceeds and the accompanying drawings are examined in connection therewith.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top view of the body and a portion of the neck of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the major portion of this invention, taken substantially along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

FIG. 3 is a pictorial view of the filter tone ring of this invention, cut open in order to show its cross-section.

FIG. 4 is a pictorial view of the banjo body having an inner tone ring that is cut open in order to show its cross-section.

In the several views of this invention, like parts of the invention are indicated by like reference numbers. The reference number 7 indicates this invention in its entirety.

Directing ones attention first to FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings it will be seen that this invention 7 consists of a resonator 8 that is a hollow acoustical vessel having a recessed inner periphery 9 in the top thereof in which is suitably secured the lower bracket ring 10. The body I l of the banjo is fitted into the just-mentioned bracket ring 10, as one can see and understand by looking at the already-mentioned FIG. 2 of the drawings.

Looking now at both the just-mentioned FIG. 2 as well as at FIG. 4 of the accompanying drawings it will be seen that the aforesaid body 11 is provided with an inner ring 12 which is one of the major parts of this invention, as will be understood by those experienced in the art. Continuing to look at FIG. 2 of the drawings it will be seen that this invention is provided with a filter tone ring 13 that is illustrated in detail in FIG. 3 of the drawings. The conventional tone ring 14 and the upper bracket ring 15 completes the description of the major structural portions of this invention. The aforesaid lower bracket ring 10 is provided with a plurality of spaced elongated openings 16, the bridge 17, and the sound post 18, clearly shown in the accompanying drawings.

As a player strums the strings 19 of this invention. the tone vibrations radiate outward in all directions across the banjo head 20 from the aforesaid bridge 17 with an effect similar to that of a pebble being tossed into a still body of water. The vibrations pass through the conventional tone ring I4 and on through the maple wood filter tone ring 13, and here the vibrations are made more resonant. These vibrations pass from the aforesaid maple wood filter tone ring 13 through direct contact with the highl resonant metal body It. These same vibratrons travel rnwar through the aforesaid sound post 18 to the aforesaid inner tone ring 12 which is suspended by the sound post 18, as anyone in the art of banjo construction will understand. The often-mentioned vibrations will go to the lower portion of the body of the banjo which is suspended within the primary sound chamber 21. The novel construction of this invention obviously greatly improves the tone quality and increases the volume of the sound, as one will understand by the above description of the effect of the player strumming the strings of the banjo. The adding of the aforesaid inner tone ring 12 allows the original tone vibrations to continue for an extended period of time. The novel construction of this invention provides a secondary sound chamber 22 that picks up and amplifies the tone vibrations that are normally lost in a conventional banjo since the vibrations come from the outer part of the aforesaid inner tone ring 12 and the inner part of the aforesaid body 11. Obviously, the vibrations will achieve more resonance and volume since the vibrations come from the aforesaid secondary sound chamber 22 on into the aforesaid 7 primary sound chamber 21. The original amplified tone vibrations are emitted from the secondary and primary sound chambers through the aforesaid elongated openings 16 that are located in the aforesaid lower bracket ring 10.

From the foregoing, l have herein provided a new and novel banjo having tone rings that fulfill all of the objects set forth for this invention in the first part of this specification.

Examination of the appended drawings will show that some details of the construction and assembly of this novel banjo have not been described in this specification since these details and fittings of assembly are all well known to banjo makers and others experienced in the art.

This invention is subject to any and all changes and/or modifications that one may care to make in this invention in so long as the changes and/or modifications fall within the scope and intent of the appended claims.

What I now claim as new is:

I. A banjo comprising a resonator defining a primary sound chamber, a lower bracket ring having a plurality of elongated spaced openings therein, said lower bracket ring resting in a recess formed in the inner periphery of the vertically disposed wall of said resonator, a banjo body adapted to fit in said lower bracket ring, a filter tone ring that rests on top of the said body, an inner tone ring spaced inwardly from the said body, said inner tone ring and the inner periphery of the said body defining a secondary sound chamber for amplifying the tone vibrations of the banjo, an upper tone ring secured in a recess formed in the said filter tone ring, and an upper bracket ring which fits tightly around the outer periphery of said upper tone ring whereby a banjo head may be secured between said upper tone ring and said upper bracket ring.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the said body of the said banjo is made of metal while the said filter tone ring is made of maple wood. 

1. A banjo comprising a resonator defining a primary sound chamber, a lower bracket ring having a plurality of elongated spaced openings therein, said lower bracket ring resting in a recess formed in the inner periphery of the vertically disposed wall of said resonator, a banjo body adapted to fit in said lower bracket ring, a filter tone ring that rests on top of the said body, an inner tone ring spaced inwardly from the said body, said inner tone ring and the inner periphery of the said body defining a secondary sound chamber for amplifying the tone vibrations of the banjo, an upper tone ring secured in a recess formed in the said filter tone ring, and an upper bracket ring which fits tightly around the outer periphery of said upper tone ring whereby a banjo head may be secured between said upper tone ring and said upper bracket ring.
 2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the said body of the said banjo is made of metal while the said filter tone ring is made of maple wood. 